NRF Participates in the 3rd Malaysia–South Africa STI Joint Committee Meeting in Kuala Lumpur

The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa participated in the 3rd Malaysia–South Africa Joint Committee Meeting on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), held on 18 July 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The meeting was co-hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the South African Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI).

This high-level engagement followed the successful signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 16 July 2025 between the NRF and the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre (ISTIC) under the auspices of UNESCO. The committee meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Balamurugan Nallamuthu of MOSTI and Mr. Ghaleeb Jeppie of DSTI.

The meeting served as a platform to review progress made since the signing of the bilateral STI agreement in 2014, discuss its renewal, and assess new collaborative initiatives between the two countries’ scientific and technological institutions.

Key agenda items included the advancement of inter-institutional collaboration in joint innovation programmes, joint postgraduate training initiatives, and capacity-building programmes in STI. The committee also deliberated on the development of joint calls for research proposals, with the objective of fostering collaborative innovation to address shared global challenges.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both South Africa and Malaysia to strengthen bilateral cooperation in science, technology, and innovation—paving the way for new opportunities in research, technology development, and human capital advancement.

For further information on upcoming collaborative research initiatives between the NRF and ISTIC, please contact Michael Nxumalo, email:  MG.Nxumalo@risa.nrf.ac.za.